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Kenny Hubbard Kennihanna
Kenny Hubbard remembers telling somebody back in high school he wanted to have the fastest car in town . It drew a chuckle and the Texas native would often repeat it , with every laugh making Hubbard even more determined to make it happen .
“ It drove me so much . I think of that everyday ,” Hubbard said . “ I wish I could find him and tell him what I ’ m doing now .”
Hubbard has backed up his word and he ’ s also become the life of the pits in the process . Affectionately known as “ Kennihanna ” for having the ultimate food spread in the radial world , the best chef in the sport has done just as well on the track .
He became the first car to reach the 4.20s on drag radials , doing so in 2012 , and after a few years of lying low , Hubbard has had a resurgent 2017 in X275 . He finished as runnerup in X275 and Outlaw 632 at Lights Out 8 in February at South Georgia Motorsports Park , and then has responded with back-to-back wins in his striking , nitrous-powered ’ 74 Chevrolet Nova . Hubbard and the old-school Nova won the Throwdown in T-Town in X275 in May at Tulsa Raceway Park and followed with a victory a weekend later at Takedown III at Darlington Dragway . It ’ s an enjoyable run for what could be one of the nicest , most well-regarded racers in the drag radial community .
“ More than anything I try to be a helpful person ,” Hubbard said . “ I just know if you do good for people , they ’ ll do good for you . This is a hobby and sport we enjoy , and I ’ ve never been greedy . I was always taught to be generous and it ’ s come back to me tenfold . I have so many people to thank and they flip the script and tell you thank you .”
Born in Vietnam – Hubbard ’ s mother is Chinese and his father is American – Hubbard saw the value of good morals from parents who have now been married more than 45 years . His mother also passed on an egg roll recipe that is the talk of the drag radial pits when it comes food . The extravagant food set-ups that now draw dozens anytime Hubbard races first started with a grill and a few burgers . But word quickly spread and Hubbard ’ s cooking budget gradually rose , where it ’ s now close to $ 1,000 per race and upwards of $ 3,000 for the Lights Out event . He ’ s gone from 50 egg rolls to 600 per race – all thanks to word of mouth – and it ’ s an aspect Hubbard enjoys almost as much as the racing .
“ It ’ s a lot of fun ,” Hubbard said . “ I never think I ’ m better than anybody and I was not raised on money . But good morals got me through life and I ’ ve been blessed . I look back and think how did I get what I have , and I think it ’ s just being generous . It ’ s just been awesome .”
Hubbard ’ s racing took shape in the late 2000s with success in Outlaw 10.5 before moving to the X275 and drag radial world . After the history-making run in 2012 , Hubbard never found consistent success until he took his engine to longtime Pro Mod racer Jeff Naiser and Naiser Racing Components . With Naiser ’ s help on the engine , Dan Barton working on the cylinders and other key adjustments – Hubbard credited Joe Rivera at Pro Torque for the EV2 converter , Sebastian Domingo for the AMS-2000 boost controller and close friend Dean Marinis , who ousted Hubbard in the X275 final at Lights Out 8 – the drag radial veteran has been impressive in 2017 .
“ We ’ ve come such a long way , but people don ’ t realize how many hours we have in this program ,” Hubbard lamented . “ Without Jeff , I wouldn ’ t be here . Last year we started getting a good handle on things . We did a lot of testing and went fast , but at the races we struggled because all we knew how to do was go fast . Now we ’ re consistent and make the right calls .”
Perhaps the most key component in all of it is Hubbard ’ s wife , Billie . Married for 18 years , Billie is involved of every aspect of her husband ’ s racing , whether it ’ s making ultra-fast runs down the track or helping keep bellies filled in the pits . That shared interest adds one more fulfilling layer to Hubbard ’ s life and it ’ s why he has no complaints with any of it .
“ She doesn ’ t just come to the track ,” said Hubbard , whose 2017 schedule likely includes a stop at the Yellow Bullet Nationals for the first time , as well as No Mercy in October . “ She ’ ll download the runs , read the Racepak , make some changes to the MSD . She makes very good notes and loves to go drag racing just as much as I do . I ’ m blessed for sure .
“ We have nowhere the financing or backing like some people , but we have a good time and live life to the fullest with what we have .” – JOSH HACHAT DI
PHOTOGRAPH BY DALLAS WILSON
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